Premier Sports secures European rugby rights
European Professional Club Rugby (ECPR) has awarded UK broadcasting rights for the Investec Champions Cup and European EPCR Challenge Cup to Premier Sports for the upcoming season.
The three-year deal, which also covers the Republic of Ireland, makes the pay-TV broadcaster the lead streaming platform for the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup, the two premier competitions in European professional rugby union.
The agreement will continue until the culmination of the 2026/27 season and will see Premier Sports cover all 65 Investec Champions Cup matches, as well as two EPCR Challenge Cup pool matches, two Round of 16 matches and all matches in the knockout stages.
Premier Sports has launched a dedicated 24/7 rugby-specific channel to provide constant live games and coverage.
Jacques Raynaud, CEO of EPCR said, “Premier Sports has huge ambition to become the home of club rugby in the UK and Ireland, along with their rights to TOP14 and URC competitions. We are delighted to join them on this journey and tremendously excited to help them reach new heights by bringing the very best of elite club rugby to UK and Ireland audiences.”
Mickey O’Rourke, founding Managing Director of Premier Sports added, “Our exciting new TV partnership with EPCR and the marquee offering of all 63 Investec Champions Cup games live in the UK and Ireland, complements our existing URC and TOP14 coverage and shows our innovation, ambition and growth as a broadcaster.”
In Premier Sports’ six-year partnership with BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) it has hosted an excess of 900 live rugby fixtures. The broadcaster is quickly becoming a major player in the rugby sphere, boasting 20 EPCR Challenge Cup matches across the 2023/34 season alongside being the UK broadcaster for TOP14 and URC.
Its comprehensive rugby coverage coincides with other sporting leagues including LALIGA, Scottish Football, Copa Italia, DFB Pokal, NHL and NASCAR.
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